AstraZeneca buys DSM's Montreal facility

AstraZeneca has acquired the mothballed Montreal biologics manufacturing facility from DSM Biologics Inc — the second major investment the UK-based pharmaceutical firm has made in Montreal this year. AstraZeneca will begin re-commissioning the facility immediately and expects to begin full-scale production in 2009. Located adjacent to the National Research Council's Biotechnology Research Institute, it will be used to manufacture antibody drug candidates for clinical trials for the company's global operations. DSM Biologics purchased the facility from BioIntermediair and had ambitious plans for a $450-million expansion (R$, October 7/02). Those plans were abandoned when DSM implemented a new corporate strategy focused on outsourcing of a new manufacturing technology platform in conjunction with Dutch-based Crucell NV. Earlier this year, AstraZeneca announced a $10-million expansion of its pain control research centre in the Saint-Laurent Technoparc — the company's first major R&D facility outside of its home base in Sweden (R$, February 26/07).